After nearly a decade of failed attempts, we’re seeing yet another push by Republicans to make radical changes to our social safety net programs. Senate Bill 897 would take health care away from Medicaid recipients who don’t hold yearlong employment. Just like every other attempt, this is a solution in search of a problem.

The median income in Michigan is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago, and half of Michigan’s population is living in unsustainable conditions. With wages stagnant and the cost of living continuing to rise, this has forced more and more formerly middle-class workers to receive government assistance to survive and make ends meet, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still working.

They’re working, but working alone doesn’t always open up pathways to economic stability. Working doesn’t always provide the wages, health care, or stable hours that you need. Working doesn’t provide you the education, child care, or transportation you need to work in the first place.

None of these issues are addressed by imposing work requirements. Just like failed attempts to drug-test welfare recipients or suggesting foster kids shop at thrift stores, Senate Bill 897 does nothing to address the root causes of poverty, but operates on the assumption that those on Medicaid want to rely on the state or that they’ve chosen the situation they’re in.

There seems to be this idea that if we embarrass the working poor just enough and if we just take enough away from them, those receiving government assistance would find some way to choose to stop being poor. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and it’s an insult to Michigan’s working people.

With work requirements, what do you say to the man in the Upper Peninsula who labors 40 hours per week when jobs are plentiful in the summer, but is unable to find stable work in the off-season? What do you say to the waitress who consistently works 30-hour weeks, but loses her health care because she had to take a week off to care for her sick child? How do you take away their health care and tell them they’re just not working hard enough?

The legislation’s sponsor admits the intent of this bill is to simply give Medicaid recipients a “gentle push” off government assistance, not to save the state money in any way. In fact, this legislation will cost a fiscally irresponsible estimated $30 million annually to implement. When the majority of able-bodied Medicaid recipients are already working, why would we spend taxpayer money to punish them if they don’t?

Perhaps worst of all, this legislation demonstrates its sponsors are willfully ignorant of the conditions Republican policies have created in Michigan. With a Republican governor, Senate majority, and House majority for almost 10 years now, there have been countless opportunities to help Michigan’s struggling residents. Instead, they’ve demonized the working poor through heartless social experiments, all while investing in corporate welfare with almost no strings attached.

If Republicans want our residents to be able to find a job and not require government assistance, then they need to invest in job training, child care, transportation and wraparound services. We need to equip people with the skills they need to qualify for good-paying jobs that offer sustainable, predictable hours. Investing in the people of Michigan today is the right long-term solution for a better tomorrow.

It’s unfathomable that the legislature could consider tying a basic human right to something as ever-changing as employment. Whether you receive government assistance or not, access to health care should be a right, not a privilege.